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 Monstrosities
are common on the Côte d'Azur, but nowhere - not even Cannes - can outdo
MONACO . This tiny independent principality, no bigger than London's
Hyde Park, has lived off gambling and catering for the desires of the
idle international rich for the last hundred years. Meanwhile, it has
become one of the greatest property speculation sites in the world - a
sort of low-rise Manhattan-on-Sea with an incredibly dense concentration
of fin-de-siècle Edwardian hotels standing in for the skyscrapers.
The principality has been in the hands of the ruling Grimaldi family
since the thirteenth century, and legally Monaco would once again become
part of France were the royal line to die out. The current ruler, Prince
Rainier, is the one constitutionally autocratic ruler left in Europe,
under whose nose every French law is passed for approval prior to being
applied to Monaco. There is a parliament, but with limited functions and
elected only by Monegasque nationals - about sixteen percent of the
population. But there is no opposition to the ruling family. The
citizens and non-French residents pay no income tax and their riches are
protected by rigorous security forces; Monaco has more police per square
metre than any other country in the world.
One time to avoid Monaco - unless you're a motor-racing enthusiast - is
the last week in May, when racing cars burn around the port and casino
for the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix . Every space in sight of the
circuit is inaccessible without a ticket, making casual sightseeing out
of the question.
The Principality
The oldest part of the two-kilometre-long state is Monaco-Ville , around
the palace on the high rocky promontory, with the new suburb and marina
of Fontvieille in its western shadow. La Condamine is the old port
quarter on the other side of the promontory; Larvotto , the bathing
resort with artificial beaches of imported sand, reaches to the eastern
border; and Monte-Carlo is in the middle.
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